After exercise: Check your blood sugar again

Check your blood sugar as soon as you finish exercising. Check it again throughout the next few hours. Exercise draws on reserve sugar stored in your muscles and liver. As your body rebuilds these stores, it takes sugar from your blood.

The tougher your workout, the longer it will affect your blood sugar. Low blood sugar can happen even 4 to 8 hours after exercise. Having a snack with slower-acting carbohydrates after your workout can help prevent a drop in your blood sugar. These types of snacks include a granola bar, trail mix and dried fruit.

If you do have low blood sugar after exercise, eat a small snack that has carbohydrates. For example, you could have fruit, crackers or glucose tablets. Or you could drink a half-cup (4 ounces/118 milliliters) of fruit juice.

Exercise is great for your health in many ways. But if you have diabetes, testing your blood sugar before, after and sometimes during exercise may be just as important.